Monthly Archives: December 2011

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The way a man wears his watch says a lot about him. Let’s look at a few different ways that men often wear there watches and what it tells the rest of the world about his lifestyle and habits.

Over the Shirt
There are two kinds of men who were their watches over their shirt – overly sensitive nerd types or absolutely clueless types. The first of the two, the geek, is probably allergic to his watch but wears it anyway because it reminds of something he saw on the SciFi channel. The dense guy on the other hand probably either got dressed in the dark or for some reason thinks his watch looks great over top of his sleeve. Maybe he saw it that way in “Watches for Dummies.”

Upside Down
Upside Down wears often put their watch on the wrong side of their wrist, on the bottom side to be exact. They must then flip to the backside of their arm to be able to read there watch. This leads us all to one conclusion, they probably got the watch from their parents, are of collegiate age and just plain don’t know how to wear their watch.

Loose
A loose watch wearer often wears his watch because it is a prized family heirloom from good old grandpa. The looseness either means he’s wearing it because his wife makes him since she deems it so ‘precious’ since grandpa died or because he simply likes to be a little more comfortable than those tightwads that wear them the right way.

Firm
When a man wears his watch firmly in position he is often a business man, a goody two shoes or both. He puts his watch on this way, perfectly in position, because that’s how he probably runs the rest of his life… or tries to anyway.

Not at All
A man that doesn’t wear a watch at all might be considered a free spirit. He’s independent and won’t conform to that thing called time. No wonder he’s always late!

So you’ve been browsing and you decided to buy some great designer ties. You’re unsure of the fabric or the care methods but you just know you’re going to be a lady killer when you add these to your usual, bland, white button up look. You get them home and think “These are great! But how to I keep them so they don’t wrinkle like my old ones?”

Problem solved. First things first, you are probably buying the wrong ties. Cheap silks and other fabrics tend to wrinkle and crease. You get what you pay for – no matter if it’s a house or a tie – and that’s a fact of life my friend. Check out DeCalo Fashion’s main website for some stylish designer ties. They are made of 100% imported silks and come with a wrinkle free stamp guaranteed by yours truly. While I am sure there exceptions to the rule, if you are buying fine ties they shouldn’t wrinkle. If they do, look at the way that you are storing them. They should be hung with care or laid flat out with nothing on top of them aside from another tie perhaps. If you are having wrinkle problems by traveling, try to lay the ties flat in the bottom of your suit case with as little folds as possible. This will leave a smaller margin for wrinkle errors. If they still crease, hang them in the bathroom while you take a shower or just steam up the bathroom. Leave the tie hanging for about 10 to 15 minutes and when you come back, poof, the tie is back in business.

And last but not least, don’t lay an iron on the tie. More than likely, if you aren’t a professional, you will ruin it since most good ties are dry clean only.

If there is a business suit, sport coat, blazer, or jacket in your closet, you have probably noticed the presence of slits along the jacket sides or back. These slits, known as “vents,” are important to helping the dress suit jacket hang nicely whether you are standing or seated. Here is an overview of dress suit vent options available in a man’s suit, and the affect of them.

Non-vented dress suit jackets are relatively rare. They hang nicely when you are standing, but bunch up when you are seated or if you put your hands in the jacket pockets, which is commonly thought impolite.

Single-vented dress suit jackets are common in single-breasted business suits but never occur in double-breasted suits. The single vent is a slit at the bottom, back of the jacket that helps the jacket hang better when the wearer is seated.

Double-vented dress suit jackets are common in single-breasted and double-breasted suits alike. There is one vent on each side of the jacket, at the bottom. This allows the jacket to hang to its best advantage when the wearer is standing, seated, or has his hands in his jacket pockets. If you like to stand with your hands in your pant pockets, the double-vented dress suit jacket will hang better than either single-vented or non-vented dress suit jackets.

Always seeing men you think are stylish sporting scarves in the winter months but you just don’t know how to take on the task? SuitBargains.com is here to make it easy for you. We offer a selection of Bruno Piatelli designer unisex scarves. The 100% lambswool fabric is soft and flawless. They also come in a variety of colors such as black, white, navy, brown, maroon, camel, red and gray. If you are fashion challenged your best bet is to pick a neutral color – which 99% of ours are – so you are sure that it will match to anything you might wear it with.

Wear it with… right, onto that part! It’s easier than you think. If you want to look like a top level exec or you are one for that matter, hold both end in one hand and the rounded end in the other, put the scarf around your neck and loop the two loose ends through the rounded one. This is an easy, elegant look that any many can pull off. If you aren’t quite comfortable with a loop yet, wrap it around your neck the way you might your gym towel or even throw one half over your shoulder.

You can wear your scarf with anything but it looks chicest with a nice jacket or coat. Just make sure you are comfortable and confident. If your not, everyone will be able to tell. Hold your strapping head high, loop on that scarf and go! You’ll not only stay warmer but now you’ll be that stylish guy other guys wish they were!

While a necktie no longer serves the purpose it did in the past of protecting the neck from an aggressor’s thrust, nevertheless a quality necktie still sets you apart from your competition. With the myriad designer neckties available, how do you choose one that suits your style or situation? In this article, the DeCalo Fashion expert will introduce you to necktie fabrics, colors, patterns, and contemporary and classic styles.

Neck Tie Fabrics

Quality neckties are made of pure silk or wool. Worldwide, woven silk Italian neckties are crisp, appropriate formal wear. Woolen neckties are considered less formal than the silk varieties, and are considered ideal for less formal events.

Tie Colors & Patterns

Today’s dramatic styles

There is undeniably a tendency toward dramatic combinations in menswear. If your style could be described as Austin Powers shagadelic, the best approach is “harmonic discord”: choose a loud necktie (such as stripes, blobs, or checks, a hot pink necktie, or an orange tie) with a shirt that has over-riding colors that match.

Your bold style should then become progressively subdued from necktie to yoru dress suit: a large pattern on the tie should be balanced by a small pattern, or solid, on the shirt. Your suit should in turn be lower key than the shirt.
Classic business style

While we have seen a variety of interesting, even artistic tie patterns come and go, the classic business necktie pattern is unoriginal, and apt to stay that way. Both businesspersons and politicians lean toward understated neckties. When you’re serious about doing business, understated is the way to go. Conservative checks, paisleys, and stripes are recommended business necktie patterns.

Anyone doing business in the UK, however, should be aware that striped patterns indicate social status; in particular, institutions such as regiments or riding clubs have their own stripes and colors. A faux pas is easily committed by the uninformed due to the wide range of combinations that have been adopted by institutions, so the foreigner in the UK may be wise forego necktie stripes in favor of other patterns.

Select the necktie fabric, colors, and patterns appropriate to your style and situation. A quality necktie is central to presenting the image you intend, whether it be contemporary, dramatic, or business classic.

The age old question at most weddings and other important events is: “Honey, is it okay if I take off my jacket? It’s getting a little hot in here and…” Queue either a hissy fit or an “I don’t give a damn” from the significant other. But still the question remains unanswered. SuitBargains.com is here to give you the answer and it is no. Unless you are suffering from heat exhaustion, it is more appropriate and respectful to leave your jacket on.

SuitBargains.com has some simpler solutions than becoming a sweaty mess. There are a good many suits and suit separates on our website which have ventilation to allow maximum air flow through the suit while you shake your groove thing or pound shots at the bar. While you’re on SuitBargains.com make sure that you check out a suit jacket that has side vents. It is your best bet at a formal event. No one will know they are there and you will be living it up in comfort.

When the hosting party is dancing on the tables, kicking off their shoes and setting up beer pong at the head table, it is probably okay if you take off your jacket now, “honey”.

The front of your dress pants can be flat or pleated, but do you know which is best for you? The DeCalo Fashion expert is here to help you select the best fitting dress pants.

Flat front dress pants look nice with long jackets, and remain popular in the US in spite of a decline in Europe. Some tailors feel that the only way to keep pants up is to use suspenders and, indeed, the use of suspenders for comfort seems mandatory for many men who wear flat front dress pants.

Pleats tend to make dress pants fit better by allowing the extra range of movement for seated positions (the pant tends to widen when seated). Dress pant pleats are created when the fabric is folded and stitched at the waist, and come in a variety of combinations. The classic pleat is a single fold centered on either side of the zipper. This gives a nice, elegant appearance seated or standing. With one pleat per leg, you can have dress pants that are cut narrow and fit well.

Double pleats provide a more generous amount of fabric for larger men. Double pleated slacks tend to look better while standing than do flat-front dress slacks, but when seated they can appear baggy. An Italian wide-cut jacket looks nice over double-pleated trousers, where a thinner single-pleated dress pant would appear too thin.

Dress pant pleats may also be inverted, which means that the pleats in the dress pants do not face the same direction.

Sean Combs, best known as Diddy, Puff Daddy or P. Diddy, has made a solid name for himself in the fashion industry. Combs was first seen as the loyal sidekick of the late Notorious B.I.G. Always fashionable in a staple black or white combo, often accompanied by sunglasses and a sharp haircut, Combs was suddenly on the scene to be seen. Hooking up with fashionable ladies like Jennifer Lopez and model Kim Porter he soon became more stylish ever. His infamous “white party” instantly became one of the chicest soirees to happen to the Hamptons since Jackie O. Combs soon married his urban yet elegant sense of style with fashion by introducing the world to his Sean John line. These suits are made for a man who wants to stand out in a crowd as one part suave lady killer, one part class and refinement and one part edgy and urban.

For these reasons among others, SuitBargains.com is proud to carry the Sean John line of suits. Our Sean John collection consists of suit separates with a single breasted jacket. The jacket comes together with two buttons for a chic look. The slacks are double pleated and comfortable to boot. These Sean John suits are available at SuitBargains.com today in solid black, black pinstripe, navy blue pinstripe and gray sharkskin. “Street” never looked so good!

Need to learn to tie a tie? The most popular necktie knots are the “Windsor” and the “Four-in-hand.” Read on while the DeCalo Fashion expert helps you learn to tie a tie in either knot.

The Four-in-Hand Knot

The four-in-hand knot creates a narrow knot that tends to lengthen the area around the throat. The knot is not perfectly symmetrical, which for some men makes it a difficult knot to form and position correctly, but the lack of symmetry can also make it more interesting. To learn to tie a necktie with the Four-in-Hand knot, follow this seven-step process:

Flip up your collar and loop the necktie over your neck with the broad end down and toward the right. Let the broad end hang significantly longer than the narrow end. The back of the tie should rest against your shirt. It may take a few attempts to get the correct length, so take note of the length for your next attempt.

Take the broad end in your right hand and the narrow end in your left hand. Pass the broad end of the necktie to the left above the narrow end.

Between the thumb and forefinger of your left hand, grip the point where the two ends cross. Continue to hold the necktie this way throughout the rest of the process, keeping your thumb firmly behind the knot.

With your right hand, loop the broad end of the necktie around and below the left side, and then below the narrow end.

Pull the broad end of the necktie across the font of your chest toward the right, and then around the front of the knot that is now beginning to form. The fingers of your left hand should now be inside the knot.

Still holding the knot firmly between thumb and fingers, use your right hand to bring the broad end of the necktie up from behind the knot and then down through the opening. Pull the broad end down through the outermost loop of the knot.

Continue to pull the broad end downward while you hold the knot with your left hand. Shape the knot with your right. Find a mirror to make the final adjustments as you hold the narrow end of the necktie firmly, slowly tightening the knot. Flip down your collar.

The Windsor Knot

The Windsor knot is more symmetrical than the Four-in-Hand, is easier to shape, but to some men it results in a less interesting knot. The knot tends toward bulkiness, which could be a problem for someone especially slender or with a necktie made of heavier fabric or with a thicker lining. To learn to tie a necktie with the Windsor knot, follow this seven-step process:

Flip up your collar and loop the necktie over your neck with the broad end hanging down on your right. The broad end should be longer than the narrow end. The back of the tie should be against your shirt. It may take a few attempts to get it right, so take note of the length of the ends for your next attempt.

Take the broad end of the necktie in your right hand and the narrow end in your left. Pass the broad end to the left above the narrow end.

Between the thumb and forefinger of your left hand, grip the necktie at the point where the two ends cross. You will continue to hold the necktie this way through the rest of the process. Your thumb should be firmly behind the knot as it forms.

With your right hand, loop the broad end of the necktie around and below the left side, and below the narrow end.

Pull the broad end of the necktie across the font of your chest toward the right, and then up to the opening at your neck. Put the end through the opening and pull it to down and toward the right. The back should be facing forward.

Pass the broad end of the necktie toward the left across the front of the knot, then continue around to the back. As you hold the knot firmly with your left hand, bring the broad end of the tie up the back, and then down through the outermost loop of the knot.

Pull the broad end of the necktie downward as you still hold the knot tightly with your left hand, shaping the knot with your right hand. Find a mirror to make the final adjustments as you hold the narrow end and slowly tighten the knot. Flip down your collar.

Follow the above instructions to learn how to tie a tie in either a “Windsor” or a “Four-in-hand” knot; both are popular. If you learn to tie a tie both ways, you will find the one that suits you best. A final note: the length of your tie is subject to style, but it should approach your belt buckle with the thin end a little shorter than the broad end.

Sometimes events hit us like a ton of bricks. One day we’re merrily strolling along, telling ourselves how much money we’re saving by not spending it on weddings and hoopla every weekend. The next minute, we wish we would’ve bitten our tongue when we get home to 5 invitations for parties over the course of the next 2 months. Darn! And decoding what to wear? Impossible!

Whenever you go anywhere it is better to be over dressed than under. Having said that, don’t go too crazy or you’ll look ridiculous. If you have something on and you feel uncomfortable or uneasy if it will match with the invitations criteria, then take it off and try again.

Now on to the deciphering part. There are so many different kinds of dress codes that it is difficult to keep track. Here’s a list of the most notorious invitation dress codes alike with a few suggestions on what type of clothing you can pick up that will adhere to almost everything on this list. And for the more formal stuff, you can pick up everything suggested right here at Decalo Fashion. No worries!

Casual: A simple ‘casual dress’ means anything goes. Pull out those old holey jeans and even holier Led Zeppelin concert tee and get to it!

Business Casual: Boss got you feeling like you aren’t “appropriate” again? Well he just might be the one who is wrong. Denim, cotton or corduroy pants fit under the business casual code as do knitwear (aka your favorite Polo shirt).

Informal: A business suit and tie will do. Depending on how informal the hosts are jeans and a jacket might also be okay.

Semi-Formal: In America, Semi-Formal sits between business casual and black tie. This usually calls for a suit for men but nice khakis, a button up shirt and a tie will suffice in certain situations.

Formal: Formal is big time. Get out your tuxedo and shine up your shoes.

Cocktail: Technically, like semi-formal, this means a suit for men. But again, rules have been lax on cocktail attire the last few years and jeans with a great blazer or jacket as well khakis, a nice button up and a tie will work too. Looking polished is key no matter what you wear here.

Black Tie: Yeah buddy, this means get out your best tux, lace up your best shoes and paste a smile on your face whether your happy about it or not!

White Tie: This is the best of the best. White Tie is often described in the way royalty would dress so act accordingly. This is the most formal dress code.